Leaving
by Gnash1
Summary: Elena and Elijah have been together for several years, living and loving, when the realities of their relationship intrude. One shot.


_Leaving_

The year that Elena turned twenty seven things between them changed.

They loved, laughed and lived together. She was never happier than when she was with him. The past did not rise up to haunt either of them and she looked to the future with joy, but she began to notice something in Elijah. She would find him sitting alone, late at night, staring into the fire or out a window at the moon. The first time or two she would go and wrap her arms around him and the pensive mood would melt away, but it would come back. Sometimes she thought she saw it when he would look at her…times when he thought she was unaware of him. She tried to reassure him that he could tell her anything. Much of his work was still a mystery. She found that there was never a shortage of funds, so she knew this was not work related. She supposed someone with his lifespan could accumulate wealth without thinking.

The income from her writing went into a bank account. Amazing how well writing horror novels paid. Elijah had once told her that within her sweet, loving shell lived the heart of a monster. That was how she wrote as she did, terrifying a generation of all things that never bothered to go bump in the night. She figured after all she had seen, it was an appropriate outlet for the horror. She wrote vampires alarmingly well (Big surprise there…).

Regardless of how well she did, though, he refused to allow her to contribute, or live from the income she earned at all. He told her he would provide for all she needed. As sexist as it all sounded, she found it best not to argue. This was the way things were done in his time. It would be like asking him to be someone else. She loved him enough to overlook it.

Elijah had been gone for two days. Some business out west was keeping him wrapped up. He had planned to be home tonight and called to say that he would have to stay longer. Restless, agitated and missing him, Elena set out to distract herself with work. They had a housekeeper three days a week, so there was little for her to do beyond cleaning up after herself, which took no time at all, really. So she tackled her closet. After three hours of sifting and discarding she had stacked four boxes next to the door. Rather than throw things away, she decided she would donate them.

Another box was stacked on the bed and she was removing the contents of a suite case, throwing out things from previous travels that had accumulated there, in the bottom.

_Elijah rounded the corner and watched her. If he needed breath, his would've stopped. After six years together, she could still surprise him. Always beautiful, even in her deceit. She had sounded fine on the phone. Fine, but lonely. Another hour and he had told his associate that he had decided to return home regardless of where the negotiations were. Now he found the stacked boxes beside the door, rather than a joyful homecoming. He knew the day would come. He had known that from the beginning when there had been no promises. As time had passed, rather than finding peace in their life together, he felt drawn and quartered. _

_He thought of the changes he had seen in her lately. There had been phone calls abandoned when he came into the apartment. Late afternoon "meetings" she came home from tired and drawn. The other night he had touched her and been broken when she flinched away. Drawing a hand over his face, he cleared his throat._

Surprised, she turned and found him standing in the door. "Oh, hi. I didn't expect you until tomorrow." She smiled, but he did not.

"Clearly." He sat on their bed.

"I…um….I don't understand."

"You don't have to hide this, Elena." He closed his eyes for a moment, looking haggard. "I expected it from the beginning. We could have talked. I just hoped we would have more…." His voice trailed off.

"More what, Elijah?" _Closet space?_

"Don't mock me, Elena!" It was a roar, ferocious. She had never seen him so angry. He took a deep, slow breath and finished his thought. "I had hoped for more time."

"But, Elijah…" She wasn't sure what was happening, but it was beginning to feel like a tornado, raging out of control.

He held up a hand. "I know that you withdrew a large portion of your bank account."

He monitored her bank accounts? "Yes. That's true."

"With it, you bought a home in Westchester. A four bedroom tudor with an attached garage." He was studying her, waiting for her to deny it.

"You always said that real estate was a good investment." Yes, that was a dodge, but none of it should've brought on the anger he was emanating, and the hurt.

"Stop!" The roar again. "Don't lie to me, Elena, please."

They both stared at one another across their bed. She was angry now too.

"Honestly, sir," she sneered, "I don't see what it has to do with you if I decide to spend some of my money."

"It has everything to do with me when your leaving, damn it!" One hand shot out and the boxes on the bed, the suitcase struck the far wall close to the ceiling. "I suppose you had planned to be gone by the time I returned. Boxes stacked beside the door for a quick getaway. Once you're in the house, just deny me access by my lack of an invitation, I suppose. Efficient. How unfortunate for you that I decided you sounded lonely, decided that the purchase of a hotel chain could be damned, and came home to hold the woman I love."

He turned and walked to their bedroom window, staring out at the blue sky. His posture reminded her of the nights she had seen that same look, that same bending of his shoulders. This was why.

"Leaving…Elijah, I'm not…"

He held up a single hand and she was silent at the motion. "Please don't lie, Elena. I hear your heartbeat, remember?"

"I expected this all along, really. I just never knew when it would happen. It was always a gamble, a bit like a crap shoot, really. How long would I have her? How long before she met some human man that could give her the children I cannot?" His voice broke on the last word.

_For all of his power, strength, wealth and position, he could not do this one thing that any man could do. It made him feel broken, flawed, which really he was. He had wanted to be all for her, and was found wanting.  
_

He turned and looked into her eyes. "You always wanted children. Jeremy told me that. So now you have bought a home. You're moving to Westchester to be with this man." In a flash, he was nose to nose with her. "I would tell you that I wish you happy, but it would be a lie. Honestly, I hope you both rot in hell." The cultured façade fell away. His eyes narrowed into slits. He wanted her to be afraid of him now. Be afraid for her lover. Someone she would walk away from Elijah for. He wanted to kill the bastard, revive him and kill him again for daring to interfere with what Elijah wanted…this arrogant little insect of a man, whoever he was. Who would leave a woman to face her lover alone? Let _her_ buy _him_ a house. Bastard. "You go to him, Elena, and you tell him about me. I dare you. You tell him everything if you want, I don't care. But you should also tell him that if he ever hurts you- leaves you, injures you at all, I will know." He crossed his arms over his chest. "And I will have his heart for breakfast. Because I will be watching. Always watching. You think of _that_ while you take your love, while your children gather at your knees. Do you understand me?" The last sentence came out with a roar. Wild, barbaric eyes raked her face and she knew that he would do it with joy.

Elena trembled. He was terrifying. She had not ever considered that he might hurt others to hurt her. Then his eyes flickered, and she saw stark unbearable pain, hovering there beneath the surface. She thought of a conversation that she had once with Stefan about what it meant to be a vampire. He had told her that they felt more deeply, everything forever amplified. The thing that struck her now was that Stefan had told her that a loss, any loss that might injure another could cripple a vampire….leading even to madness for some.

Elena took his face in her trembling hands moving slowly, cautiously. "I love you." He tried to pull away, but she stopped him, wrapping her arms around his neck. They were nose to nose again. "Please, my darling Elijah, look at me. I bought that house as a wedding gift for Jeremy and Suzette. They have decided to settle in Westchester. I have been waiting for their decision and had an agent ready to search for the perfect place. There were other offers and I had to move fast. Lots of meetings, lots of viewings. It's been terrible. I didn't tell you because you get upset when I use anything from that bank account. I knew that you could afford to make a gift of a home to them, but just this once, I wanted to be the one giving. I should have told you and I'm sorry. I never knew that you were aware. I never intended to cause you pain by concealing it from you."

"As for the rest," She gestured around the room at the scarred wall and the suitcases on the floor "I have been cleaning out my closet. I was restless because I _missed you_. Children be damned, Elijah. There is no other man. There will never be another man. How could you think there would ever be anyone else for me? I will live and die loving you. You have ruined me for all others." She took one hand and leaned back, slapping her chest. "Put your ear right here if you want, listen to my heart and tell me that I'm lying. Take it if you want." She tipped her head up to give him easy access to her jugular, her life. "It's yours anyway. When I gave you my heart, I gave you all of it."

He sat back on the bed again, and she released him. He gathered her to him and pressed his face into her sweater. She ran her hands lovingly through his hair.

"Oh God, Elena. I'm so sorry. I thought that…"

"If I had thought what you thought, I would've wanted to kill people too." She stroked his smooth hair, her love in every stroke, every caress.

"I will never leave you. Never. And if you ever decide to send me away, I'll sit on the porch waiting until you change your mind. I can't face more than a day and night without you, much less a lifetime."

She kissed his lips whispering her love for him.

Then, for the first time in far too long, they talked. Honestly, openly they talked about demands, promises and rights. Neither wanted power, nor sway over the other. But living in a state lacking resolution had worn on Elijah and their relationship. Elena had thought Elijah simply preferred a lack of promises or plans. They seemed to be determined to misunderstand one another.

They were married six weeks later.

If he wanted them, she would give him all the promises she had to give.


End file.
